Tan said he was worried complacency was creeping and urged Singaporeans to be realistic and prepare for the worst.

"We are an iconic target. If terrorists can mount a successful attack on Singapore it will make headlines," said Tan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence.

"We are doing everything we can to prevent a terrorist attack in Singapore but we know they (terrorists) will always try. One of these days they will get through and there will be an attack in Singapore.

"We should not let it devastate us. We will recover, life will carry on, but we have to be prepared for it," he told reporters after addressing a seminar on national security.

Tan said it was important to step up efforts to build up "psychological resilience" among Singaporeans, as the main aim of terror attacks is to create panic and fear, break people's wills and damage the economy.

"We cannot let that happen. But to do that you have to be prepared so that if a terrorist attack does occur, then you know that we are ready for it and we will recover from it," he said.

The security minister said he was worried Singaporeans might be oblivious to regional and world events that could affect the country's security.

He said, "my impression and my worry is that Singaporeans say: 'No matter what happens in Southeast Asia, no matter what happens in the rest of the world, the government will keep Singapore safe.'

"We are doing our best, but you must remember that Singapore is located right in the middle of a fragile region where security threats can rise at any time."

Singapore claims to have crippled a cell of the Southeast Asia-based Jemaah Islamiyah and detained several militants engaged in an alleged plot to blow up the US embassy as well as other foreign and local targets.

The Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed for the October 2002 bombing that killed more than 200 people in Bali and is believed to have training camps in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.


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